Advancing Word Podcast

In Part 2 of “The Parable of the Seed,” a sermon rooted in Jesus’s words in John 12:23–24, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield reflects on the moment when a group of Greeks sought an audience with Jesus.  Through the vivid metaphors of the seed’s determined death and dynamic duplication, he explores what it means to pattern our lives after the Savior.  Our lives may begin as seeds, but they become fruitful only when we willingly plant them in the fertile soil of God’s will. 

In John 12:23–24, Jesus gives a profoundly significant response to a group of Greeks who wanted “to see Him.”  Through a vivid agricultural metaphor, He reveals the heart of the Gospel and the purpose of His mission on earth.  While Jewish expectations of the Messiah centered on glory, conquest, power, authority, and victory over their enemies, Jesus teaches that it is the sacred seed of His death that will yield the harvest of salvation.  In the first installment of this two-part message, Dr. T. D. Stubblefield explores this powerful principle and its enduring significance.  

This week’s segment reflects on the powerful story of the woman with the issue of blood, recorded in Mark 5 and echoed in Matthew and Luke.  Though her name is never given, her story speaks to every person who has ever carried private pain, long-term struggle, or desperate hope.  After twelve years of suffering, she presses through the crowd with remarkable faith, believing that one touch of Jesus’ garment would make her whole.  Her silent reach becomes a bold testimony: when faith draws near to Christ, God’s presence, power, and purpose can meet us in the very place of our need.

The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, gave many people near St. Louis, Missouri, a rare opportunity to witness totality.  But as unforgettable as that moment was, it pales in comparison to the encounter described in John 12:20–26, when a group of Greeks came to Jerusalem seeking an audience with Jesus.  In this segment, Dr. Stubblefield explores how they were drawn by the attraction of His person, the activity of His passion, and the anticipation of His preeminence—and how that same invitation still speaks to us today.

In 2 Corinthians 4:7, the Apostle Paul makes a bold claim as he defends his ministry against those who questioned his credentials as an apostle of Jesus Christ.  Fully aware of his own failures, frailties, and fragility as an “earthen vessel,” Paul recognizes that God’s power enabled him to share the treasure of the Gospel with others.  By God’s grace, he was too blessed to fail.  What matters most is not what we do, but what God does in and through us.

In 2 Kings 20:1–6, God sends the prophet Isaiah to tell King Hezekiah, “Set your house in order, for you shall die.”  This alarming message drives Hezekiah to fervent prayer.  Before Isaiah leaves the court, God hears the king’s prayer and sends the faithful prophet back with a new word: Hezekiah will live fifteen more years.  Hezekiah prayed past his problem—and if you are facing doubt, difficulty, debt, disappointment, depression, disease, or even death, you can too.  Listen to this message and discover how prayer becomes God’s express lane through the heavy traffic of life.

Genesis 12:1–3 has been called “foundational to the missionary vision of the whole Bible and the people of God through all ages.”  In this pivotal passage, Abram—later known as Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation—is called out of his familiar pagan surroundings so that God might bless him and make him a blessing to “all families of the earth.”  What happens when being uprooted becomes the doorway to divine purpose?  In this message, discover how God can turn displacement into destiny and blessing into mission.

In Exodus 3, verses 1 -6, God shows up on the backside of a desert and calls Moses, formerly a prince of Egypt but now a shepherd to a new purpose and mission.  Years earlier, as a member of the royal family, Moses committed murder and failed miserably while attempting to liberate the people of his birth from the bondage of Egyptian slavery.  Deserts are not just geographical but experiential as well.  God still shows up in the most unlikely of places.  

In Psalm 27, stanzas 4-6, his life threatened, his kingdom in turmoil, David sought God's presence.  In his distress, he wanted to "dwell in the house of the Lord".  In this place, he experienced a perfect getaway.  We can too!

The second Chapter of the prophecy of Daniel records what King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the most powerful kingdom in the world experienced after he "woke up from a bad dream."  In the Old Testament, dreams were used as carriers, conductors, conduits and channels to communicate and convey God’s will.  A bad dream is a metaphor for the trials and tribulations we experience in life.  This message explores what we can learn from Nebuchadnezzar's experience.